Professional activities:

Member of the Society for Neuroscience, The Endocrine Society, Society for Behavioral
Neuroendocrinology, Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society, and the Center for Development
and Behavioral Neuroscience (Binghamton University).

Research Interests:

Research Description:

Psychological stress is pervasive in all walks of life, and clearly plays a role in
the etiology of many major psychiatric conditions. As such, the primary goal of my
research is to determine how organisms respond and adapt to psychologically stressful
events. To this end, we use animal models to examine three different aspects of responses
to stress, including: (a) basic neuroendocrinology of stress, (b) stress effects on
behavior, and (c) stress-immune interactions. Specifically, the neuroendocrine component
of the laboratory focuses on long term adaptations that occur in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
(HPA) axis following stress. The behavioral component of the laboratory seeks to determine
the neural mechanisms underlying specific behavioral responses that occur as a result
of stressor exposure. Finally, recent progress in the field suggests that exposure
to stressors can activate some aspects of immunity, and thereby facilitate immune
function. The neural mechanisms underlying these changes is the third area of inquiry
in my laboratory. While these three areas are frequently treated as discrete topics
of research, the neural mechanisms which govern stress-induced changes in behavior,
neuroendocrine, and immune function appear to share a high degree of overlap. Thus,
a cohesive picture of the inter-relatedness of these topics has begun to emerge in
recent years. In order to address these issues, my laboratory employs a diverse range
of biochemical, physiological, and behavioral measures to answer questions that are
pertinent to the field of stress research.

Philosophy of Graduate Training:

My goal is to provide the theoretical background that can be used as a springboard
for students to develop independent research agendas. In this same spirit, students
in my laboratory are encouraged to learn as many techniques as possible (behavioral,
biochemical and surgical), and to develop novel techniques whenever necessary. I believe
this approach fosters an atmosphere of innovation that extends far beyond simple technique.
I also emphasize the development of skills necessary to communicate research ideas
to the greater scientific community, including presentations (both posters and colloquia
style) and effective writing (both manuscripts and grants).

Deak, T. (2007). From classic aspects of the stress response to neuroinflammation and sickness:
implications for individuals and offspring of diverse species. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 20, 96-110.